Draft:Pretalayotic period in Menorca

• Comment: Seems notable, but poorly referenced Ozzie10aaaa (talk) 15:49, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

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The Pre-Talayotic period in Menorca refers to the stage between the arrival of the first human beings on the island and the emergence of Talayotic culture. It does not represent a homogeneous period from any perspective, as it includes various types of ceramic, architectural, and funerary traditions.

Researcher Lluís Plantalamor, associated with the Museum of Menorca, has proposed a chronological framework to explain this period of Menorcan prehistory, dividing it into Pre-Talayotic I and Pre-Talayotic II...

Pretalayotic I

Pre-Talayotic I is the period between 2500 BCE and 1700 BCE. The communities inhabiting the island during this phase exhibit cultural traits typical of the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic – Early Bronze). According to Plantalamor, this stage in Menorca is characterized by the presence of two groups that likely shared a common cultural foundation but had distinct economies: while in the western part of the island, the Ciutadella region, they were primarily agricultural (similar to Mallorca), in the eastern part, around Maó, they were mainly pastoral.

Differences also appear in settlement and burial practices. In the west, settlements consisted of clusters of domestic navetas (boat-shaped dwellings), and burials took place in elongated hypogea. In contrast, the east had smaller stone structures often incorporating plant materials as dwellings, and burials were in megalithic tombs or dolmens with perforated entrance slabs.

In both areas, these were sedentary, non-hierarchical societies (lacking monumental architecture or prestige goods), based on a productive economy and characterized by peacefulness (evidenced by the absence of weapons). Religious beliefs were already fairly sophisticated.This was a society with external contacts (as indicated by the presence of megalithic architecture, a widespread element across the Mediterranean), particularly with southern France

Characteristic structures of Pretalayotic I

Hypogeum

INside view of Torre del Ram Hypogeum (Ciutadella)

Underground tombs excavated in natural or artificial cavities opened into the limestone rock. They feature a rectangular or oval floor plan, accessed through an inclined corridor or a kind of vertical shaft. The chamber often includes various elements such as benches, lateral or apsidal chambers, niches, a central pit, etc., and both the chamber and the corridor would have been sealed with fitted stone slabs. Examples of this type of tomb can be found at Son Mercer de Dalt, Torre del Ram, Son Vivó, Son Catlar, Parella, S'Hostal, and Montefí.

Domestic navetas

Also known as naviform structures (as they resemble the upside-down hull of a boat), these were dwellings (evidenced by the presence of hearths and food remains inside) with an elongated horseshoe-shaped floor plan, sometimes slightly “pinched” at the entrance. Their walls were built with a double-facing technique, with the space between filled with earth and small stones. They rise from a base formed by a plinth of large blocks resting on the bedrock. Above this base, smaller stones are laid in rows that gradually converge to roof the space using the corbelling technique. Good examples of these domestic navetas can be found at Clariana, Cala Blanca, Cala Morell, Son Mercer de Baix, Santa Mònica, and Sant Jordi.

Domestic naveta Coll de Cala Morell (Ciutadella)

Caves with megalithic façades

Examples can be found in the necropolises of Cala Morell, Biniai Nou, and Sant Tomàs.

Dolmens or Megalithic tombs

Roques Llises (Alayor)

The megalith proper is usually composed of a rectangular chamber with walls made of vertically placed stone slabs. Among these slabs, one is typically perforated to allow access to the interior. In some cases (only four such tombs are known), a narrower corridor is located in front of this type of entrance. The slabs—whether part of the chamber or the corridor—are never set into grooves carved into the bedrock. Surrounding them is a kind of tumulus—poorly preserved—consisting of a retaining wall made of horizontally placed slabs or roughly hewn blocks, and a certain amount of fill material placed between this wall and the megalith. As for the roof of the chamber, and possibly of the corridor (in the few cases where its presence has been documented), it appears to have been made of horizontally laid slabs

In Menorca, notable examples of megalithic tombs include Montpler, Alcaidús (also known as Tanques de Montpler), Binidalinet, Ses Roques Llises, Son Ferragut Nou, Son Ermità, Sant Ignasi, Son Salomó, Son Escudero, and Rafal des Capità.

Triple-Walled Tomb of Son Olivaret (Ciutadella)

An evolution of these dolmens or megalithic tombs can be seen in the triple-walled tombs such as that of Son Olivaret or the paradolmen of Ses Arenes de Baix.

Pretalayotic II

In the second phase of the Pre-Talayotic period, Pre-Talayotic II (from 1700 to 1200 BCE), the evidence is already quite abundant. This phase represents a continuation and refinement of the cultural traits found in the previous stage. The Cyclopean technique appears with the construction of navetas: the megalithic tombs from the previous phase evolve into burial navetas, a type of structure exclusive to Menorca.

Eastern Naveta of Biniac-L'Argentina (Alayor)

Characteristic Structures of Pre-Talayotic II

Intermediate-Type navetas

These buildings are derived from the megalithic tomb, retaining its structure (corridor, perforated slab, rectangular chamber, retaining wall with stone fill). They feature a clear separation between the corridor and the chamber, a roof made of large horizontal flat slabs, and sometimes a perforated slab that provides access to the main chamber. The exterior door of this type of tomb is typically formed by monolithic or polyolithic jambs and a Cyclopean lintel. Inside, there may be continuous benches and an upper floor, accessible through a kind of chimney at the end of the corridor. The most significant examples are: Biniac-Argentina Occidental, Biniac-Argentina Oriental, and Torralbet.

Naveta Es Tudons (Ciutadella)

Evolved navetas

These structures lack a corridor and retaining walls, and they have an elongated floor plan. They are likely slightly later than the "intermediate-type" navetas. They feature a roof made of transverse slabs, a perforated slab between the corridor and the room, a double wall of blocks with rubble filling, and sometimes an upper chamber. The best-preserved examples are: Rafal Rubí Meridional, Rafal Rubí Oriental, and Es Tudons.

Menorca Talayótica - UNESCO World Heritage

Menorca Talayótica is a UNESCO World Heritage site, listed in 2023. It comprises a series of archaeological sites that testify to an exceptional prehistoric island culture, characterized by unique Cyclopean architecture. The island preserves exclusive monuments such as funeral navetas, circular houses, taula sanctuaries, and talayots, all of which are in full harmony with the Menorcan landscape and its relationship with the heavens.

Menorca has one of the richest archaeological landscapes in the world, shaped by generations that have preserved the Talayotic legacy. It has the highest density of prehistoric sites per unit area on an island, making it a symbol of its insular identity.

This area is divided into nine zones covering sites and associated landscapes, with a chronology extending from the appearance of Cyclopean structures around 1600 BCE to Romanization in 123 BCE. The exceptional value of its monuments and landscapes led to its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.